NBC Orders 10-Episode Dracula Series Starring Jonathan Rhys Meyers

The network has given a 10-episode series order to Dracula, a series inspired by the classic Bram Stoker character starring The Tudors' Jonathan Rhys Meyers as the titular character, NBC Chairman Bob Greenblatt announced Tuesday at the Television Critics Association fall TV previews.

The series will introduce Dracula as he arrives in London, posing as an American entrepreneur who maintains that he wants to bring modern science to Victorian society. In reality, he's seeking revenge on the people who ruined his life centuries earlier. There's only one circumstance that can potentially thwart his plan: Dracula falls hopelessly in love with a woman who seems to be a reincarnation of his dead wife.

Greenblatt called the series a "new version of the classic Bram Stoker Dracula." "In the world of Twilight and True Blood... we thought we'd go back to the original," he said, noting that they'll be bringing a Tudors sensibility to the series.

Based on a script from co-executive producer Cole Haddon, Dracula will be executive-produced by Colin Callender, Tony Krantz (24), Gareth Neame (Downton Abbey) and Anne Mensah. Reece Pearson will also serve as co-executive producer.